UNCLE CHUCK

I just returned from a nine day excursion to my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. I left early due to Tropical Storm Hanna and stayed later due to Hurricane Ike. It was fabulous!

I can't really put into words the feelings and emotions I felt while being home. As soon as we touched down I got a sigh of relief type of feeling. I love Pittsburgh and everything and everyone in it. I stayed in a part of town where you can walk out the front door and be consumed with the hustle and bustle of city life. I was a short walk away from Walnut St. in Shadyside. This is a higher end part of town where there are shops, coffee bars and people with laptops, iPods and Blackberrys.

I got to spend time with some of the most important people in my life. My co-blogger Marie, my family and some of the best friends anyone could ever have. Reagan and I took full advantage of all the city has to offer. We were tourists in our own town. Walking the Southside of Pittsburgh, eating pretzel sammiches and drinking milkshakes that would make the veins pop out of your head.

Driving North of the city to a country town to visit some friends, going to the zoo and watching the city turn black and gold as the Steelers won their home opener against the Texans.

I can't help but think that I will end up there again some day. The journey that has been my life has taken me on some wild adventures and it only seems natural that I would end up spending my golden years in the place that brings me the most joy.

The people that inhabit the city of Pittsburgh are one of a kind. They have a certain accent that is quite contagious, would defend the city 'til the end and give an impression that we are all one big happy family.

As Reagan and I sat in a local diner one morning, a man came up to her toting a big green stuffed dog and said "here you go sweetie, you can call me Uncle Chuck."

I had never met this man before, but it just reconfirmed what I've always known...
there really is no place like home!